A nonprofit organization that has been providing supports and services to children and adults with disabilities for forty-five years in Southern New Mexico. Our mission statement is: Tresco supports people with differing abilities to reach their potential and realize their dreams.

Hiring Challenge: Retaining Direct Client Care Specialists

Direct care positions are 24/7 and critical to the success of our mission. However, direct care turnover in our industry nationally reaches sixty-five percent annually, and Tresco’s turnover for direct care employees has been a stubborn 30-35% annually for the last several years. With 215 direct care staff the estimated turnover cost is $260,000. In our data analysis we found our largest turnover to be employees leaving before completing the required competency-based training, and employees leaving within the first six months, but if we could retain employees beyond a year they became long term reliable employees.

Hiring Solution: Skills Based Hiring Using Workkeys®

Tresco, Inc. partnered with the Skill Ready Doña Ana and Innovate+Educate to implement “Skills Based Hiring” by profiling Direct Client Care positions, and using WorkKeys® to hire better job applicants. The job profile experience was very intense and comprehensive. It gave us a true look at the expectations and a laser focus on the skills needed to meet those expectations. Tresco partnered with the local New Mexico Workforce Solutions office to ensure that WorkKeys® assessments could be smoothly integrated into our job applicant management process. This allowed us to help job applicants identify their skill gaps so that they could be directed to various community skill up options including use of KeyTrain® in self-study or other educational options. Our staff have noted the increased quality of new hires in regard to training.